The incident took place on Saturday, Nov. 15
NEED TO KNOW
- At least seven people and several others are injured after an explosion at a fireworks factory in the city of Hyderabad in Pakistan on Saturday, Nov. 15
- The factory was allegedly operating illegally, according to local media reports and the Deputy Commissioner of Hyderabad
- The cause of the explosion was not immediately known, a local police chief told the Associated Press
At least seven people have reportedly died and several others have been injured after a fireworks factory exploded in Pakistan.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, an explosion took place at a fireworks warehouse that was allegedly illegally operating in the city of Hyderabad in the province of Sindh, according to local media outlets Dawn, The Express Tribune and the Deputy Commissioner of Hyderabad, Mr. Zain-ul-Abedin Memon.
While it was initially reported that there had been three casualties, the death toll increased to seven within a few hours, per The Express Tribune.
It was also previously reported that seven others had sustained injuries, according to Dawn.
“We have seven injured, of whom three are in critical condition,” Deputy Commissioner Memon told Dawn.
“One [body] was received expired in the burns ward. Six injured were also shifted to the burns ward with moderate to severe burn wounds,” Dr. Vinesh Kumar, a duty doctor at Liaquat University Hospital, told the outlet.
The doctor added that two of the injured had been “approximately 100 per cent” burnt.
In a statement, Rescue 1122 (the Punjab Emergency Services Department) said, “A powerful explosion was reported in a firecracker factory on the banks of the Laghari Goth river, Latifabad Police Station B Section limits,” per Dawn.
A fire also broke out following the explosion, according to the outlet. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the building, according to the AP.
PEOPLE has contacted the Punjab Emergency Services Department for comment.
